CASPER — Those at or near the Casper/Natrona International Airport on Wednesday afternoon saw something that would have scrambled U.S. fighter pilots during the Cold War — a Russian fighter jet flying over and landing on American soil.
But it’s not the Cold War anymore, and the twin-engine Russian-made Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter that landed in central Wyoming was unarmed and just there for some fuel.
Casper Aero Center employee Lynda Archambault said the dark camouflage-painted MiG-29 came into the center at 1:40 p.m. and took off again at about 2 p.m.
The sighting of the only known American-owned MiG-29 caused a stir. Archambault said several employees from the Aero Center were able to check out the plane and talk to the pilot.
“We were all out there. He interacted with us,” she said. “A lot of different people got a lot of different information from him — him and his co-pilot.”
Archambault said she did not know the name of the pilot, but said she believes he is an astronaut. She explained that the plane had just flown in from the 2025 Oshkosh Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
That pilot is Jared Isaacman, according to air show organizers. He’s the billionaire owner of the plane and an astronaut who has flown missions for SpaceX.
Isaacman, a friend of Elon Musk, was nominated to lead NASA by President Donald Trump and then had his nomination withdrawn.
SpaceExplored posted a photo of Isaacman in the MiG-29 waving to the crowd at Oshkosh and reported a crowd gathered there to talk to speak with the astronaut and entrepreneur earlier this week.
Archambault said she understood the plane was traveling from Casper to Montana.
The MIG-29 has made news over the years as being the only Russian-made fighter jet of its kind owned by an American.
Billionaire Pilot
Isaacman is the founder and chairman of Shift4 Payments, a company that processes payments for businesses. He’s also the founder of Draken International, a provider of tactical fighter aircraft that is available for training the military.
Draken uses former military fighter pilots and civilian pilots to be the “aggressor force” against U.S. military pilots during training.
The MiG-29’s appearance in Casper drew a lot of attention.
Michael McCaffrey of Casper wrote on a post to the airport’s Facebook page that he saw the jet land and take off. When the MiG-29 landed, it deployed a chute to help with braking.
“Pretty cool,” McCaffrey wrote.
Andrew Messick posted that he saw the plane from his shop on Wednesday.
“I seen this bad chicken buzzin’ around our shop out by the airport,” he said. “So sick!”
Jenn McGraw, the manager of the Aero Center, said the MiG-29 is the only “private one owned in the world.”
The special visit from the MiG-29 is not the only rare or notable aircraft that show up at Casper/Natrona International Airport. The airport also had a visit from U.S. Air Force A-7 Warthogs in 2023.
Just last month, aviation enthusiasts were thrilled to see the U.S. Air Force’s newest and rarest warfare plane at the airport, a new EA-37B Compass Call.
Only five of the aircraft were in service as of May. The 10 aircraft ordered by the U.S. Air Force are designed to give a critical advantage in the ever-evolving world of modern warfare.
“This new airframe and its delivery mean that we have a combat-credible threat,” Col. Mark Howard, commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, said in a statement last August when the first one was delivered. “The EA-37B, with its increased range, speed and agility, will allow Airmen onboard the aircraft to make real-time, adaptive, agile decisions for airpower.”
Archambault said the Casper airport occasionally gets other special visits from rare, famous or vintage aircraft, but rarely do they know ahead of time.
“We will possibly know that day and sometimes 30 minutes within arrival,” she said.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
